2010ish Pathy ... looking to buy

Any topics related to 2005-2012 R51

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ettore
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Location: Whistler, BC, Canada

2010ish Pathy ... looking to buy

Postby ettore » Wed Feb 24, 2016 3:49 pm

A friend's friend is selling his 2010ish Pathfinder. I don't know much about it yet, except that it's likely in exceptional condition, but probably has 150k-ish kms (so, 100k-ish miles)

I'm selling my 1993 Pathfinder as it just needs too many things, and it's not in the cards for me to bring it back to life.

Wondering, what am I looking for when I buy this thing. With my 1993, I knew about the radiator stuff, the frame issues, the hole under the drivers-rear seat, etc etc ... wondering what I should be concerned about with this 2010.

I use my old Pathy for just about everything, and it's never let me down; hoping to find something to replace it, and hopefully not take a bath not knowing that I need to replace the trans after 160k or something.


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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Thu Feb 25, 2016 9:46 am

The transmissions were very good, unfortunately, many of them failed due to a seal failure of the trans cooler inside the lower tank of the radiator, which led to cross-contamination issues with the engine coolant and transmission fluid. If it still has the original radiator, I would recommend replacing it or bypassing the radiator's cooler; there are numerous threads about the bypass method.
Upper timing chain whine is another concern. Not all are affected, but on some, the upper chains will cut through the tensioner "feet" and make a noise similar to a bad power steering pump whine. A TSB was released with updated parts and instructions, but it is a bit of a job to do.
If you are sticking with the stock suspension, Bilstein HD rear shocks and Airlift 1000 air bags are recommended to compensate for the weak rear springs.
Fuel sender issues are also fairly common. Otherwise, they are a pretty good vehicle.


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